The inside scoop on food in Los Angeles

Hey, kid -- get to work

August 24, 2010 | 10:43
am

Here's a sneak peek at what's coming in Thursday's L.A. Times Food section:

Jacob Greenberg, 18, is one of many high school students who are increasingly seeking a culinary education not at a fancy cooking school but in the bustling kitchens of esteemed Los Angeles restaurants.

"I've always really been into cooking," says Greenberg, who will attend Vassar in the fall and doesn't plan on being a chef. But when Greenberg discovered that a few of his classmates had scored brief stints in the kitchens at Sona, Providence and Grace, he decided to ask chef Mark Peel if he could volunteer at Campanile. He started staging full time in August 2009 and eventually moved on to his most recent apprenticeship with Josiah Citrin at Mélisse. There he helped prepare the little amuses-bouche that go out complimentary to every diner and helped out on the line. Read on:

Photo: Jacob Greenberg works as a stage in the kitchen at the French restaurant Mélisse in Santa Monica. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times